Thousands of New Brunswickers lose power Wednesday as weather system moved through

SAINT JOHN, N.B. -

The city of Saint John, N.B. is known as a place to beat the heat in New Brunswick thanks to the natural air conditioning from the Bay of Fundy. But even this part of the province has seen temperatures soar during the latest heat wave.

Heat warnings have been issued in New Brunswick, advising of a stretch of hot and humid weather – and although the Saint John region is not among those areas under the warning, the city is still much warmer lately than many are used to.

“It’s been very warm actually and not the kind of weather you expect to see in Saint John,” said Sue Ogden, a resident of Grand Bay-Westfield just outside of the city.

“It is a little bit chillier than in Grand-Bay, but it sure is a different year for weather.”

 “Last night was tough for sleeping,” says Saint John resident Kevin Robertson.

“If you didn’t have air conditioning, which I don’t, so its windows open, fan on, covers off, and just a sheet over top of you – do your best.”

Along with heat warnings, severe thunderstorm watches were also issued for parts of the province today – including in the Saint John region, where the sky darkened around lunchtime and a quick-moving storm rolled through.

A lightning strike at one of NB Power’s substations knocked out power to about 25,000 people in central New Brunswick at its peak on Wednesday, and more than 2,000 Saint John Energy customers also lost power around the time the storm struck New Brunswick’s port city.

It appears that the warm weather may subside this weekend, with rain and temperatures in the mid-teens in the forecast.​